DANCE STYLES: Click on Style for description
Salsa (back to top)
Salsa is one of the most popular social dances in New York City. There are numerous Latin clubs/venues and many excellent dancers. Salsa “Tipica” and NY Club Style Salsa work on a pattern of six steps danced over eight counts of music. Both begin on the "1" (although “club” style breaks on “2”). Salsa has roots in Cuba and Puerto Rico and has expanded across South America. Salsa continues to evolve as people learn the dance and add their own style to it.
Mambo (back to top)
Mambo became popular in the '50s, as people became fascinated with the exotic rhythms emanating from Cuba. The likes of Beny More and Perez Prado brought a wave of energized, new “big band” sounds to this country and the world. Mambo, while similar in pattern to Salsa, is an on “2’ dance. It is more complicated as one must hear the rhythm and be able to identify the “2” in the music. The music is more elegant than Salsa and true Mambo is a dynamic dance.
Cha Cha Cha (back to top)
Cha Cha, also known as triple mambo, combines elements of personality and rhythm through a quick triple step within the four count basic. This exciting, syncopated dance was popularised in Cuba in the 1950's (with bands like Orquesta Aragon, Perez Prado and later interpretations of the classics by Johnny Pacheco). As with mambo, cha-cha-cha is an on “2” dance. Cha Cha, named for its repetitive foot rhythm, can be danced to Latin as well as contemporary music.
Rhumba (back to top)
Originally an African folkloric dance, Rhumba is a sultry dance loaded with suggestive body and hip movements. By learning this slow, romantic dance (that starts through a four count box pattern), students are able to work on understanding the rhythms of Latin music and better express themselves on the dance floor through fluid motion.
Bolero (back to top)
Bolero is one of the five dances in the American Rhythm competition. Bolero is a smooth, sophisticated, dance. The emphasis is on smooth and sultry rise and fall through “grand”, graceful turns with suggestive communication between partners. The four count basic step starts with a slow / quick / quick pattern.
Merengue (back to top)
Merengue is a very popular and lively Latin dance, originating in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Merengue is a four count dance in which all counts are accented. The side to side stepping basic evolves in advanced levels to incorporate many of the patterns in other Latin dances. The high energy and speed of the music maintains a constant energy level in this dance.
Bachata (back to top)
Bachata is a very rhythmic dance that originated in the Dominican Republic. It is danced in a close embrace and has become a popular dance in the clubs across the world. Bachata is a four count dance in which all counts are accented. The side to side stepping basic incorporates many of the patterns in other Latin dances and is accented with a unique “pop” through a pronounced hip motion on the last beat of each four count frame.
Ballroom Samba (back to top)
Samba, a rhythm dance with African roots that carried forward through Brasilian plantations, is the heartbeat of the pre-Lent celebration of Carnaval. The dance is characterized by its speed and the quick transfer of weight from one foot to the other. Samba music is traditionally written in 2:4 time. The dance was further popularized in America in the early 1960's with the advent of “Bossa Nova” and the release of "Jazz Samba" (Stan Getz incorporating American Jazz with Brasilian rhythms) and "Garota de Ipanema" (the iconoclastic song by Antonio Carlos Jobim).
Samba de Gafieira (back to top)
Samba de Gafieira, is a partner dance that gets its name from Gafieira, the popular urban nightclubs of Rio de Janeiro in the 1940’s. The dance has its roots in the “Maxixe” and other European dance styles. The basic step is done in a quick-quick-slow tempo and this close embrace dance maintains many of the entwined leg movements of Argentine Tango. Samba de Gafieira is a beautiful social dance that can be danced to music such as Bossa Nova and Samba Cancao and current samba pop artists such as Paula Morelenbaum and Karla Sabah.
Hustle (back to top)
Hustle has its roots in the disco era of the 1970's in New York and Miami. Through its evolution, it has become a more complicated dance sharing patterns with Latin and West Coast Swing and incorporating many of the grand gestures of Ballroom. It is danced to disco as well as pop, house, R & B, and the music of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. Hustle is a syncopated three count dance which incorporates high speed travel, elegant lines and constant turns. It remains one of the most popular dances in nightclubs today.
Born in the early 30's in Harlem, New York, this style of dance has become the cornerstone dance style of all modern swing types. Swing consists of six and eight count patterns, and consists of many sub-styles ranging from Collegiate Shag, to East Coast Swing (Swing/Lindy), to Balboa. The styles of swing taught at Charisma include:
West Coast Swing (back to top)
West Coast Swing is one of the most popular partner dances across the country. It is California's state dance (developed from the Lindy), performed in a slot combining six and eight count rhythms with syncopated footwork and embellishments. It is danced to medium tempo, sultry, sexy swing music such as rhythm and blues. Smooth and rolling, the current West Coast Swing scene has people dancing to a wider variety of music including blues, R&B, as well as some country, pop, and rock.
East Coast Swing (back to top)
East Coast Swing, a dance comprised of six count patterns, is usually performed to the rhythm of the basic triple step. In social dancing, it consists of six and eight count patterns beginning with a backward rock step by both dancers. The dance is performed to upbeat and fast music from the Big Band era. East Coast Swing is danced in a circle and has much more bounce than West Coast Swing. It is the foundation of all swing dances.
Lindy Hop (back to top)
Lindy, also known as “Jitterbug” or “Bop”, the "grand daddy" of all swing dances, Lindy has a very relaxed and playful style and makes a great partner dance with a lot of room for fun and improvisation. Lindy Hop has a strong Charleston influence and has been danced in New York since the mid-1920’s. It grew out of the Big Band era and is danced to fast tempo swing. Steps are in eight count patterns in a circular motion with many kicks, lifts, hops and drops.
Balboa (back to top)
This is an eight count dance that originated on Balboa Island off the coast of southern California. The dance has been integrated with swing and is often referred to as “Bal-Swing”. It's generally danced to fast music, and executed almost exclusively in “close embrace” position. The lead is through body connection and is subtly communicated through weight shifts generally not seen by viewers. It is a dancer’s dance as opposed to a spectator’s dance.
Waltz (back to top)
Waltz first appeared as a fashionable dance in Austria during the late 1700's. Danced in 3:4 time, the recurring, even beats send the dancers travelling around the dance floor with a “rise and fall” through all of the patterns and combinations. The Waltz is a smooth, flowing and elegant social dance in which the couples use both the open (connected by only one hand) and closed (connected by both hands) position.
Foxtrot (back to top)
Foxtrot is the dance of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Its roots go back to the early 1900’s when a young dancer named Harry Fox did his version of the "Turkey Trot." As one of the most popular social dances in the world, the Foxtrot is the foundation for many of the social dances that followed. Dancers enjoy its gliding while travelling, smooth movements and style. Foxtrot music is played by most social dance orchestras.
Tango (back to top)
Tango is a dramatic dance characterized by sultry movement and a close embrace. . It was born in the brothels of 19th century Buenos Aires. Out of this cultural melting pot emerged a highly suggestive dance that was initially shunned by the upper classes. Tango ultimately gained acceptance after the turn of the century. American style Tango is danced in traditional ballroom "frame," with the lady offset to the man's left.
Peabody (back to top)
Originated in the early 1920’s, the Peabody resembles a fast Foxtrot (with some combination of Quickstep). Legend has it that the Peabody was created by a portly New York City police chief - Captain Peabody - who was so overweight that he had to dance to the side of his partner, creating the “outside partner” style which is characteristic of the Peabody. It is primarily a dance with long, gliding steps. Dancers use many intricate quick steps set against a figure called the "open box". It is danced to fast tempo ragtime music and allows improvisation.